What's in Your Travel Pack?

When choosing items to pack in your bag for a day of sightseeing, there's no such thing as a "master list" to follow. Some travelers get by not carrying a bag at all, relying instead on strategically placed pockets or a moneybelt to hold bare necessities. Others hit the pavement ready for virtually anything. Below are 51 items that you might find in a traveler's daypack. It just goes to show that people have varying definitions of what falls under "essential."

cash hotel key credit card photocopies of pertinent guide info a small journal collapsible umbrella tour book bottled water passport corkscrew cell phone toilet seat covers mints or gum extra camera batteries plastic baggies copy of passport Blackberry® pen mini-binoculars bandages tissues handheld GPS system hand sanitizer Ipod® lip balm crushable hat

your hotel's business card small flashlight sun block sanitary wipes Swiss Army Knife® tour tickets medicine sunglasses tissues small digital camera pocket poncho compass fold-up map artificial sweetener comb energy bars travel fan tampons toothpicks prepaid phone card handkerchief phrasebook whistle pashmina receipts

Many of the items listed above crop up in posts related to packing on our Talk forums. Here are a few posts about the things we carry:

--- Poll: What do you carry in your daypack?
--- How do you record your travels?
--- Tearing Up Tour Books
--- What travel accessories do I NEED before Paris trip?
--- What Can't you get or Live Without in Europe?
--- Travel Check List

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